Michel Pratte

Temple Street Media Ventures, the digital division of Temple Street Productions, is launching a mobile gaming studio with a dual focus: to extend existing entertainment brands across new platforms and develop original IP.

The first two projects being developed through the new TS Games studio are extensions of Temple Street Productions’ existing IP: a dance-off game for The Next Step and an 8-bit, retro-style endless runner game for Killjoys. The Killjoys mobile game is set to launch close to the show’s premiere on June 19.

The majority of the mobile game development of TS Games will be done in-house, but the division will also collaborate with third-party gaming companies on bigger productions. The division is opening its doors with a staff of six who have expertise in iOS, Android, web, Unity and game design. While the early projects are linked to existing Temple Street linear TV series, the division will also aim to build new global properties in the mobile game space.

“We believe that the next great entertainment property can come not just from a hit TV series, but from any great creator, and that includes the world of mobile games,” said Michel Pratte, VP of Temple Street Media Ventures, in a statement. “We have assembled a talented team with decades of experience at some of the world’s greatest technology companies including GameLoft and Xtreme Labs, and have paired them with top producers of high-quality entertainment content to ensure that all of our properties consider multiple platforms from the earliest stages of development.”

The company will likely add staff to the TS Games division as more projects are put into the development pipeline. The prodco has previously partnered with the Bell Fund, the Shaw Rocket Fund, the Canada Media Fund and the OMDC to finance digital projects in the past, and will continue to explore these and other financing options for TS Games properties.

Temple Street launched its Media Ventures division in 2013 to oversee all of the prodco’s digital media endeavors. The Media Ventures division also includes Boat Rocker Studios, an original digital content studio focused on working with content creators to group their IP on YouTube and other platforms.